


Refuge

by paperfeathers



Series: Law School AU [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Law School AU, M/M, Protective Kylo Ren, Soft Kylux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 11:22:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8443948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperfeathers/pseuds/paperfeathers
Summary: They're two kids struggling and sinking and fighting to survive. Ben just wants Hux to know he's not alone.





	

Ben’s waiting outside, sitting crouched on the library steps, a foil-wrapped sandwich in hand, a codal balanced on his knees and a protective eye on the thermos of steaming earl grey tea he’s got balanced on the railing. He’s trying to review: Professor San Tekka’s midterm’s scheduled for next week, and his failing rate is infamous – but he keeps getting distracted by the people going in and out of the library, rushing past the hallway. Hoping to catch a glimpse of red-gold hair among the harried-looking scraps of humanity haunting the library at this time of the night.

He’s eyeing the tea, worried about it getting cold. Hux had texted him he would be going home late,  that he was helping Professor Kanata with some last-minute changes in a memorandum she was drafting. Unfortunately, Professor Kanata also has a tendency to lose track of time, and Hux isn’t one to complain – or even bother to eat - once he got too busy. Enter Ben with his tea and ham and cheese panini. He pokes at the foil, hoping it’s still warm enough. He would drop it off at the library himself, but Professor Kanata had banned him from the premises after a brawl with a rival fraternity member. So. Now he’s here, stuck outside. Weighing the risks of messaging Hux when he’s busy, ultimately deciding against it. He can wait for a little longer. Even in the November cold, freezing his ass off on the steps.

Luckily, his patience is rewarded a few moments later. A soft “Ben,” has him grinning, standing up so fast his codal almost goes flying. He catches it just in time, stuffing it into his backpack and grabbing  the thermos in one swift move. Hux just raises an eyebrow, arms crossed over his chest. Attempting cool disdain, as always, but Ben’s so used to him by now he pays it no mind. Not when color creeps soft and pink on his cheeks when Ben kisses his forehead and then hands him the tea.

“What -?”

“It’s still hot. Figured you’d need it, Kanata had you holed up there for – what, six hours? Anyway, I thought you could use something to drink, keep you going. And here. Dinner.” He presses the sandwich into Hux’s hands. “I know you haven’t eaten.”

“That’s not-“

“Your legs are shaking,” Ben says flatly. It’s true. Ben can see the tell-tale tremble of his knees, though Hux shifts, straightening his posture, trying to hide it. “Don’t deny it, I know you. And it _is_ necessary. You can’t afford to get pneumonia again, you might get delayed for another year-”  

It’s the wrong thing to say. Hux flinches, his mouth growing thin, his eyes going hard and bitter, and Ben feels his throat close up. Silently kicking himself but unable to say the right thing to make it right as Hux steps back, avoiding Ben’s eyes.

“Hux, I’m-“

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Hux says, his voice sharp. “Of course I should take better care of my health.” His movements are slightly jerky as he starts unwrapping the sandwich, but when he speaks again his voice softens. “Thank you for reminding me.”

Ben doesn’t say anything, his chest tightening as Hux starts to eat.  He’s hungry; he finishes the sandwich in less than ten minutes, gulps down the tea and only slows down halfway through. He lets out a sigh as he wipes his mouth with a handkerchief, and Ben wishes he’d brought extra as Hux crumples the foil, tosses it into the trash can beside the steps and tucks the handkerchief into his pocket.  

“Thanks,” Hux says quietly. Still avoiding Ben’s eyes. Ben reaches out, tucks an errant red-gold strand behind Hux’s right ear. Hux’s eyelashes flicker, but he doesn’t look up.

“Your hair’s getting longer,” Ben mumbles. Too long. Hux’s stress levels are directly proportional to his physical appearance, as the minimum of what he kept under control.  The way his sweater hangs too loosely over his shoulders isn’t a good sign, as is the naked exhaustion on his features when he finally looks up. Ben’s hands feel too big and clumsy as he swipes his thumbs down Hux’s cheekbone, over the bruise-colored bags under his eyes. _You’re not sleeping again._ He thinks but does not say. Hux understands, anyway. Instead of getting angry, or defensive, he presses closer, practically nuzzling into Ben’s touch.

“Why are you doing this?” Hux whispers against his skin. Ben’s chest aches as he lifts his hands away, and Hux makes a small sound of protest. But he relaxes again when Ben wraps his arms around him, going boneless in his grip, his shoulders sinking, his eyelashes fluttering in exhaustion.

“It feels good,” Ben whispers against the top of his head. “It feels nice, being needed like this.” In a way no one ever had, before.

_Someone needs to take care of you. To make you happy._

Hux snorts, nosing against Ben’s collarbone. “And here I was admiring your altruism.” He’s smiling, Ben can feel it against his skin. It makes him hold Hux tighter, rubbing gentle circles against the small of his back. Liquid warmth pouring into him when Hux shivers, presses into his touch. Letting himself need this, letting himself need someone. Half-lidded green eyes watch Ben from beneath fair lashes, and Ben bumps his nose against Hux’s. Asking for permission, waiting for Hux’s small, shy nod before he kisses him. Warm and sweet and deep, the kiss tastes a bit like the sandwich Ben bought Hux and mostly of earl grey tea, a bit stilted and awkward with inexperience on Hux’s end, gentle and slow. The kind that makes Ben think to himself: fuck law school, fuck the bar. So long as he gets to keep kissing Hux like this, he’s set for life. 

All too soon, however, Hux pulls away. Pulling himself together, brushing off any crumbs that may have fallen onto his sweater. Ben’s arms drop to the sides, feeling too empty all of a sudden, his lips kiss-swollen and a bit raw. He slings his backpack onto one shoulder, just to have something to do with them as Hux finishes his tea, handing the empty thermos back to Ben.

“Will you be going back to your dorm?” Hux asks. He’s already halfway turned away. Ben shrugs noncomitally.

“Probably not. I don’t like studying there,  too loud.” He cracks a grin. “I’ll probably go to that haunted classroom on the third floor. No one ever goes there at this time of the night.” He’ll just set an alarm in case he falls asleep over his Torts notes.

“Don’t let the old biddy keep you for too long. You have Crim  tomorrow.” He hoists the backpack up onto his shoulders, wincing as his spine creaks. And then he feels a slender hand on his cheek. Soft lips on his. There for a moment, and then pulling away. Ben blinks at Hux, too surprised to even think about kissing him back. Hux is pink in the face, but he holds Ben’s gaze steady.

“The guards lock the classrooms for the night. You can’t stay there.” Silence, and then Hux speaks again. Quiet, almost shy.

“Kanata _owes_ me for this legal memo. Quite a lot.” Hux says all this very carefully, looking around him, like he’s making sure no one can hear him. “And since she’s not paying me for my work – she didn’t even remember to buy me _dinner_ , for the love of - there are other ways to collect on her debt.” There’s no other way to describe it. Ben gawps.

“Hux, are you _implying_ you’re about to – “ Hux rolls his eyes. He grans Ben’s hand, laces their fingers together.  

“Am I about to blackmail her into letting you back into the library? Hell no. I prefer the term arbitration.” Hux is grinning, that impishly sweet smile that always makes him look a little wild, a little fae, and which Ben had promised himself he would see more of, so long as Hux let him. “I just happen to have the upper hand, so she’s in no position to refuse. Hurry up, my break’s almost done.” He gives Ben’s hand a brisk tug, and Ben is helpless to do anything but follow.  

**Author's Note:**

> The Kylux Law School AU that no one asked for and that I’m fulfilling for my own pure gratification. Very loosely based on the hell experiences I go through on a daily basis, though altered enough that it’s not too incriminating. XD (I jest.) I’m gonna keep the law school technicalities to a minimum because yeah, different jurisdictions and I have neither the time nor the energy to research American law schools, but unluckily years of colonialism also made our legal systems fairly similar, so it shouldn’t be too unfamiliar. 
> 
> Some backstory: THis oneshot is set after Ben and Hux have become a couple. They’re sophomores here, or rather, Ben is and Hux would be if he hadn’t ended up getting pneumonia during the tail end of his first year (he kept insisting he was fine, until he collapsed in the middle of recitation). Hux recovered before he hit the maximum number of absences, but he was still really weak and still pretty sick, which ruined his concentration, and he was forced to drop several classes he just couldn’t recover his grades in, effectively destroying his chances at getting into the honor roll. 
> 
> He and Ben are blockmates, and didn’t get along spectacularly well at the start. This ended up turning into active loathing when their block was unlucky enough to have Prof. S. Snoke for their first semester. Snoke delights in being a dick, is arbitary as hell, and his sweetest joy is to pit his most promising students against each other - which happened to be Ben and Hux. The animosity carried over into the second semester, with the two competing in everything (same frat, same classes, same extracurricular activities, there were betting pools on it). Unfortunately, Ben has a definite advantage over Hux: his health. Where Ben is strong and strapping and can function on coffee and sugar and 3-5 hours of sleep, Hux is very sickly. There’s also the fact that as charismatic as Hux is on the podium, in class, during school activities, he’s hopelessly awkward and cold in a casual social setting, which makes him seem like a two-faced asshole (this does not translate to block dynamics well). Ben is mostly the same way, except in reverse (too pushy, too abrasive, brutally frank, has boundary issues). So the two seem doomed to a lifetime of professional rivalry. And then Hux gets sick, and he falls apart. and Ben, who’s used to being the professional mess everyone’s too happy to wash their hands free of, finds himself being the only one to pick up Hux’s broken pieces.


End file.
